The National Medical Commission (NMC) has issued a new public notice to clarify rules for Foreign Medical Graduates (FMGs) whose studies were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine.
This latest notice replaces earlier guidelines that had confused students and authorities. Many FMGs were forced to return to India during the final years of their medical education and had to complete their courses online, which is usually not fully accepted under Indian rules.
Over the past year, the NMC released multiple notices to address these issues, but many students and state medical councils still had doubts. To simplify things, the NMC has now withdrawn its March 6, 2026, notice and introduced a clearer, final set of guidelines. The aim is to ensure that all states follow the same process.
The new guidelines mainly focus on two groups of students:
The NMC has made it clear that affected students must complete extra hands-on training in India. This includes a specific period of clerkship in addition to the regular Compulsory Rotating Medical Internship (CRMI).
This step is meant to ensure that students gain proper clinical experience that may have been missed during online classes.
To make things easier, the NMC has also provided a detailed FAQ section covering different student situations. The goal is to avoid case-by-case decisions and create a fair, uniform system.
Overall, the new rules aim to balance two priorities: maintaining the quality of medical education in India and supporting students whose studies were disrupted by global crises.
